


A White Rose Blooms Where First Planted

by Battlecruiser



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, First Dates, Fluff, White Rose Week 2020 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24662614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Battlecruiser/pseuds/Battlecruiser
Summary: Back in Vale from there travels, Ruby takes Weiss on a hike to a place that's special to both of them. Ruby framed this like just another little adventure, but is it something more? For Weiss, it will be a pleasant surprise.White Rose Week 2020: Day 1
Relationships: Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	A White Rose Blooms Where First Planted

“Ruby, could you at least slow down a bit?” Weiss called from her usual position of trudging a few meters behind her partner, the other woman’s speed she learned long ago not only being semblance related. The exact moment for that was probably the first time she saw Ruby eat. “And; where exactly are we going? Or why?”   
  
That part of the situation was also normal for the pair. Ruby would ask, plead, sometimes beg for Weiss to accompany her to somewhere and then not give nearly enough detail about the specifics. Weiss for her part had learned that she nearly always, excluding a few instances involving unexpected very large Grimm, had a good time. So she, as always, went along. After Ruby used her magics of persuasion including the aforementioned begging on her at least.   
  
“You’ll see!” Ruby turned back and cheerily replied with her trademark, patented, and copyrighted smile, “It's only a little further.”   
  
On other occasions, Weiss often pressed the issue; ensuring that before it was upon them Ruby hadn’t concocted a daft situation that would be a pain to get out of. Today, however, was different. They weren’t in a new place, or one even one that had been seldomly visited by at least one of them. Not a place where whatever Ruby saw fit to store in the backpack she’d donned might not be sufficient. No; for they were in the Emerald Forest.   
  
The familiar lush green trees for which it was named intermittently blocked the sun on the gorgeous day. Wind flowed through the leafed branches with a pleasant rhythm. And it was neither too hot nor too cold even without the use of aura.   
  
Being back in Vale to retrieve the Crown of Choice had allotted the opportunity to be places they knew; a welcome change from the wilds of Vacuo they had just trudged. Considering the Fall Maiden was Cinder, it also meant they had time to wait while Salem’s side made a move; so they could enjoy it at least for now.   
  
Ruby slowed her pace a bit, letting Weiss catch up until she was right behind her. The leader was humming happily to herself with eyes nearly fixed ahead. She was a woman on a mission, and one she was happy about; her partner liked it when she got this way, and it had happened far too infrequently as of late with the unpleasant realities of war.   
  
For her part, Ruby could see her partner out of the corner of her eye, and it was a lovely sight. While she would have always said so about her, now especially because Weiss was wearing her very best attire.   
  
A smile.   
  
It was just what Ruby was hoping for; that Weiss would enjoy this little trek and eventually its destination. That smile had gotten too rare; not appropriate in the battle so often fought. But now she was happy for the fun of going off on some lighthearted adventure.    
  
Just like they used to.   
  
Trees, rocks, and meter after meter of ground were swiftly left in the wake of the two huntresses. It wasn’t hard for them to traverse a place like this, so they could more or less focus on simply enjoying it.   
  
Enjoying, even more than the day, each other’s company. There were so many words between them, now left unspoken as they didn’t need to be. They knew and understood each other so well at this point, and quiet with just the two of them was a luxury that had been elusive for some time.   
  
Then, Ruby stopped dead in her tracks. She turned her head from side to side for a moment. Her smile only grew larger.   
  
“We’re here!” She exclaimed, turning to face Weiss with her arms outstretched and grinning from ear to ear.   
  
Weiss had stopped too, now amused by her partner, but looked around herself and was a bit confused, “And, if I may ask, where exactly is ‘here’?”   
  
Ruby laughed at her partner a bit, Weiss knowing it was in with her and never at her; “Weiss! You can’t tell me you don’t remember!” Ruby waved at their surroundings, “Come on; use that smart head of yours a bit.”   
  
And so Weiss did. For a minute she examined the clearing that they were in. It was overall typical of the forest. Nothing stood out as special or worthy of note.    
  
_Why would Ruby want to come to a place like this?_ She thought to herself, reasoning, _This is Ruby we’re talking about. . . So it holds a significance, but maybe more sentimental. Like if we had been. . . Here. . . Before_   
  
The ex-heiress nearly face palmed. She looked to Ruby who had only gotten more excited, she was almost bouncing, as it became clear Weiss had made the realization, “This. . . This is where we became partners, isn’t it?”   
  
Ruby vigorously nodded her head and clapped her hands together; “Yep! It is!    
  
Of course the dolt would bring her to a place like this. Weiss took a second to solidify the memory. Oh how things had changed since back when Ruby was merely the lesser of two evils, with the worst being Jaune.   
  
Back when she thought Ruby might be a burden on her life in schooling. . . How wrong she turned out to be.   
  
“So. . . What made you want to come here?” Weiss asked, making sure not to imply she didn’t like this. Because she did.   
  
“You know I like trips down memory lane,” Ruby responded, “And this just seemed perfect. We had the time, we were nearby, the weatherman said it would be a great day and it is!” Ruby punctuated it with a smile, an adorable habit Weiss said so.   
  
“Makes sense to me.” Weiss agreed, letting out a sigh of happy contentment, “A lot has changed since we lifers saw each other here.”   
  
“It sure has.” Ruby stepped a little closer to Weiss, “We didn’t know or even really like each other. I was a kid who really was overwhelmed by everything that was happening and maybe not completely ready for this. Naive and even more socially awkward.”   
  
“And I was a stuck up heiress who was rather unfair to everyone, but you most of all.” Weiss gained a slight blush from her coming words, “I thought you would be an embarrassing pain in my life, just one step up from Vomit Boy.”   
  
Ruby giggled, holding up two fingers just ever so barely not touching, “I kinda do hope I’m still just a little teensy bit of a step up from Jaune.”   
  
“Quite honestly; I do think I would rate you as at least a couple.” They shared a smile, looking at each-other as deeply as only best friends can. Or at least, that’s what Weiss had thought before not long ago. Recently she began to think that, just maybe, the way looked and Ruby looked at each other, felt about each other, and everything else. . . Was more than what best friends do.

Then Ruby took her hand. An action that had been getting more and more common recently; far from a strange thing for members of the team. But for some reason, it sent a jolt through Weiss every time it was with Ruby now. A jolt was the best way she could describe it at least, but . . . it was far from unpleasant.    
  
“You know one that that hasn’t changed though?” She asked, giving the smaller hand in hers a little squeeze, “That I’m so happy to look into your eyes. That’s what got us to be partners, and I was happy then. But now. . . I only like them more!”   
  
“I couldn’t agree more.” They each knew the other’s words were as true as their own. Pools of mercury and sapphire stared back as each other, lingering until they both noticed they were staring.    
  


The day that they met, the moment they became partners all in the mess that was the Beacon initiation, was a turning point more than probably any other in their lives. Everything they had gone through since was in part because of it, at least in some way. But especially who they had become.   
  
It was slow, over time. But eventually they got to here. Where they were happy despite it all.   
  
And they had what had maybe happened the slowest, but made them the happiest. What they had with one another.   
  
“A lot really has changed since back then,” Ruby began to reflect, “We’ve changed and grown a lot. Fought so many bad guys and Grimm and traveled to new places so much. Who could have thought we’d be on a journey to save the world? . . . It’s not all been easy, we both know that too well. It’s not the life either of us would have asked for exactly. . . But. . . I’m happy to face any and all of it, as long as I have you with me.”   
  
“You know I feel the same way,” Weiss agreed, “Ruby, you make me know it’ll all be okay, and that whatever it is we can win. With you I honestly believe that. . . And I know if I need help, you’ll always be there for me.”   
  
“I will, and you’ll be for me,” Ruby laughed to herself a bit, “Just like I tried to. . . Varying. . . Success when we first met.”   
  
“We’re not going to make those mistakes again,” Weiss laughed back. Ruby had always really loved her laugh, at least now it wasn’t as rare as it used to be.   
  
“Mistakes,” Ruby said before pausing, clearly intentionally dramatically. It was rather endearing. Then whipping something out, “Like not taking a selfie together here!”   
  
Weiss looked at the scroll Ruby now held aloft in her hand, “To be fair, we did have much better thing to be doing,” She pointed out, “Like making sure not to die to Grimm.”   
  
“Yeah, Yeah, I know.” Ruby acknowledged, “But now? We can wreck anything that comes near us without a sweat! So. . . I was thinking we could take one here, now.”   
  
Weiss could figure out Ruby’s thought process rather easily about all of this. They were near the end of their journey, so Ruby bright then back to the beginning.   
  
They didn’t know how dark things might get soon, so they went to a happy place of light.   
  
And she wanted to save the memory, so that no matter what happened, they would always have it.   
  
She loved the way Ruby thought sometimes.   
  
“I think I like think that idea.” She said   
  
And with that, Ruby handed Weiss the scroll, as they both knew was better at this type of thing. They got closer together, each put an arm around the other. Weiss held her free hand out, and:   
  
“Cheese!” They both smiled as the camera flashed.   
  
Capturing a memory, that somehow both of them knew, despite in of itself being only a one day trip, would be something they would cherish forever to come. It was a little thing, but a lot of life is about the little things.   
  
“It looks great!” Ruby proclaimed with glee, eagerly showing Weiss the picture she could always have seen just about as well as Ruby could have. But of course she had to make sure.

“I think it looks great too.” She agreed, and it really did. It was the two of them happy together so, how could it not? But as nice as it looked, instead of dwelling on it, she looked to what was so much better to her; Ruby in the flesh beside her. 

She did what she did so often, and looked for that smile. But as Weiss turned to Ruby, she found something she wouldn’t have suspected, a surprise and an unpleasant one at that. While Ruby was still looking at the picture, there was no smile on her face. In its place was a look of contemplation, and appearing to be not a happy reflection. As if all of the energy from just a moment prior was still there, but had transformed to worry. Accented with a mercifully rare frown.

“Ruby?” Weiss questioned with a mark of confusion, and a little concern. “What’s wrong?”

Unusually, it seemed to take a few seconds for the younger woman to even acknowledge her partner’s words. Curiously, she didn’t look to Weiss, instead sighing with her eyes locked in place. In gradients and variation of the shade through the trees, it was a bit hard to tell, but it looked as though maybe Ruby had begun to blush.   
  


“It’s just. . . . To be honest, the photo wasn’t the only reason I wanted you to come out here with me. There’s more. . . A lot more than that.”

The statement left a question in the air even as the sounds died away, it hung there, undisturbed by the blowing breeze. This time, it was Weiss that took Ruby’s hand. As they touched she felt that feeling again. Whatever this was, it was important. And she wanted to feel, be, closer during this. 

“What. . . What is it?” Weiss wished she had something better to say, but if she was honest with herself, she wasn’t the best with situations like this. Ones that clearly meant something. 

Ruby took a deep breath, and looked at Weiss once more, squeezing her hand a little. A small, cautious smile now graced her lips. Silver looked deep into blue, and blue back into silver. They had each not put it into words yet, but whenever this happened they could feel the connection they had. Two souls abidingly tied together, from the first time their eyes met. As best friends are. 

Right? 

“Weiss,” The normal exuberance replaced with purpose, “This place means a lot to me, because to me, it means a lot to us. I talk a lot about friends and being partners with you and all that. . . But I don’t think I ever really say how much you mean to me. Actually, I know I haven’t,”

The white haired woman just stood there, listening intently and gazing into the sparks of life deep in shining grey. All the while, there was a feeling in her chest that she couldn’t quite place. An anticipation for what Ruby was going to say as she felt her cheeks color.

Hope? 

“I, uhm, I really like you Weiss. Like. . . More than just my partner, or my best friend. . .” She laughed a little sheepishly, “But I guess that doesn’t really make this different from a lot of other partnerships, huh? Being through so much with someone, after being so lucky to get with someone so great to begin with. I think, hope, you feel the same way about me. . . And. . . All of that started here. . . So it felt right to me that this would be where I would take you on our first date. . .” Eye contact broke as Ruby grew redder, darting to the forest around them “I just couldn't work up the courage to ask you before we got here.”

Then, with a bigger smile now, Ruby turned back to Weiss.

Weiss was stunned. Of all of the things that Ruby could say to her, tell her, she would not have expected this. What seemed to be just another little adventure, was meant to be a date, even if without her knowledge. It was odd, more than a little awkward, and a roundabout way to do something like this but a way that seemed to work for her.

It was so Ruby. Different, in a way Weiss couldn’t help but find it endearing.

That feeling she got whenever she and Ruby touched or looked in each other’s eyes now flared up inside her like a fire. It felt even better now than it ever had before, and from her core it radiated out through herself. What from this Ruby could see, was a wider and wider smile form on her face and a sparkle in her eyes.

“I never thought I’d go on a date to a forest,” She laughed back with joy, squeezing Ruby’s hand tighter, “And that I wouldn’t be asked before I went. . . . Or that it would be my best friend and partner asking me.”

“I hope that none of that is a dealbreaker.” Her normal optimistic cheer once again backed her words, the worries that plagued her put firmly to rest by how she could tell Weiss felt. She would have needed to know Weiss so well to see that, but that only made it so clear. It was going to be like how she had hoped, and recent nights dreamed. 

“I think it might be even better this way.” The reply honest, now even more joyful at how they were enjoying all of this.

“So . . . . This can be our first date then?” Came the question for a complete confirmation. Now would be the worst time for a miscommunication, even if Ruby could feel that there wasn’t.

“Yes, I’d love it to be.” Her head nodded to make sure she was understood, “I just hope that you’ve a little more planned than just staying here.”

“Of course I do!” To help make the point, Ruby started walking in a direction, slowly for Weiss’s sake, and still grasping hold on to the place they were and the moment they were sharing, “I thought we could hike up to Cliff Landing Strategy, then watch the sunset there.” She gestured with her free hand to her pack, “And I packed some food for a kinda picnic there! Like when the sunsets!”

“A sunset picnic, in the forest our lives intertwined, as the sunsets. . . . Again, never something I would have thought of. . . . But it does sound nice. And it seems to me that you might be just a little romantic.” Step by step they moved, but their eyes really didn’t leave the other’s, Ruby only turning away for part seconds, a requirement of being in the lead.

“It’s kinda hard not to be around you.” And that just when Weiss thought her pale visage had mostly returned. But she held no real embarrassment from it, and with words like that, and everything she was feeling; Weiss though there was only one thing left to say:

“Ruby. . . I’m so glad we became partners.”

Words from the heart,

“So am I Weiss, and now I’m just as happy we can be even more.”

To another it knew so well,

“Me too.”

And back again to the one it was forever locked.

Together, they took one last look at the clearing before starting their hike. A slow hike, prolonging time with the company each kept. They weren’t far along when the reality of what had occurred caught up with them.

There had been no really big confession. No tears or pleas. No emotional upwelling one way or another. They just. . . Became a couple on a date from best friends on an adventure. As if it was something natural, and an easy thing. 

But, that’s because for them it really was natural. Nothing had changed, not in their hearts and souls where it mattered. Only the words they used to tell themselves and others. In some ways, this might not have even been their first date.

But the thing both were certain of, more than anything else in the world, was that it would be far, far, from the last.

And with an afterlife in Remnant. . .

There would never have to be.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Lovely People!
> 
> I hope y'all liked it! I know I'm not the best at this type of thing, which together with how long it takes is why its been so long since I've posted here, but I hope it's good enough :)
> 
> I wish you all a happy White Rose Week!


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